Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva attended the opening of an individual exhibition of Azerbaijani People's Artist Tahir Salahov at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku on October 1.

Director of the Center Anar Alakbarov, addressing the event, informed the visitors about the solo exhibition titled "Junction of centuries", which coincided with the 85th birthday of Tahir Salahov.

Alakbarov also spoke about previous events, conferences and exhibitions held at the center, including the popular exhibition "Life, death and beauty" of famous American artist Andy Warhol, which was held from June to September and attended by over 10,000 people.

Rector of the Academy of Arts Omar Eldarov spoke about the creative style of Salahov and his contribution to the Azerbaijani culture.

Salahov expressed gratitude to the exhibition participants and said he dedicated the exhibition to national leader Heydar Aliyev, whose 90th anniversary is marked this year.

The event participants then viewed the exhibition, which includes over 100 works of the well-known painter, paintings created in different periods and carpet drawings based on his paintings.

The exhibited works include portraits of Heydar Aliyev, as well as Gara Garayev, Dmitri Shostakovich and Mstislav Rostropovich, the works "Aidan", "Morning. Absheron", "Koroglu", the Absheron triptych "Atashgah", "Caspian Sea today", and "Maiden Tower, and other well-known creations of the painter.

The exhibition will run until November 6.

Tahir Salahov, one of the most prominent representatives of the Azerbaijani art, is the vice-president and honorary president of the International Association of Plastic Arts of UNESCO, the vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts, People's Artist of the USSR, Azerbaijan and Russia, and is the winner of a number of high awards, including the State Prize of the USSR and Azerbaijan.

Salahov studied at the Art College after Azim Azimzade in Baku and the Surikov Moscow Art Institute. He won his early recognition with his diploma work titled "The shift is over", which was exhibited in 1957 at the Moscow All-Union Art Exhibition.

The artist became one of the leading representatives of the so-called "severe style", a trend in Soviet art of the 1960s that aimed to set off a hard, publicist, realist view against the ceremonial "polished reality" of the Joseph Stalin era.

Salahov's early works showed the life and work of the Baku oilworkers and portraits of famous composers, using contrasting red, black, light and dark-grey shades.

Later, his paintings became more peaceful and lyrically contemplative, lines became smoother and more melodious, and the palette more sophisticated.

At present, Salahov lives in Moscow, holding classes, and has a studio at the Moscow Art Institute.